Riyadh wins 1-2 Jeddah United: Cristiano Ronaldo s championship drought continues, what s the difference in losing?

The Sand Crown match on October 29 was really frustrating. Riyadh Victory lost to Jeddah United 1-2 at home and stopped in the top 16. The most heartbreaking thing was that the opponent was sent off one man early in the second half and played an extra half. As a result, they attacked wildly to no avail and failed to get the score back.

There was something wrong at the beginning of the game.

Only 15 minutes later, Jeddah made a joint counterattack. Diaby passed the ball in diagonally, and Benzema succeeded easily. This goal was scored too easily, and Riyadh's victory defense seemed to have not yet woken up.

However, in the 29th minute, Ronaldo's cross from the left caused chaos, and Angelo equalized with a volley. At that time, he felt that the momentum was back.

Unexpectedly, in stoppage time, Oyar helped Jeddah take the lead with a single shot. This defensive leakage was really a headache to watch.

At the beginning of the second half, Jeddah United's Zhu Laidan kicked Yahya directly in the head, and the referee gave him a red card without saying a word.

At that time, I thought, when the opportunity comes, I can attack one more person and attack with pressure, right?

The result is that the more I look at it, the more anxious I become. Cristiano Ronaldo had a single shot that was saved, but unfortunately it was offside; Mane's close header was miraculously resolved by the opponent's goalkeeper; Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick was also high.

In the entire second half, Riyadh successfully shot 22 times but could not score a single goal. On the contrary, Jeddah United only scored two goals with three shots on target. This efficiency comparison is too cruel.

Looking at the statistics, the ball possession rate was 67% vs. 33%, and there were 5 absolute opportunities vs. 3 times. It was an overall advantage, but the result was that they could not win. To put it bluntly, it means gaining the upper hand and not scoring.

Jeddah United goalkeeper Rajkovic was really cheating in this game. He connected with high and low blocks, but Riyadh's winning attack always missed the last kick.

C Ronaldo took 5 shots and none of them were on target, and attackers such as Mane and Felix were also out of shape. After playing one more player, the team seemed more impatient and would only keep passing from the wing. The success rate was pitifully low and it was impossible to hit the ball in the middle.

After the game, coach Jesus said that the players were tired and some had colds, and Brozovic's absence from training also had an impact. But these reasons pale in comparison to the results. After all, Jeddah United is also fighting on two fronts, and there is still one less person to hold on.

What is even more worrying is that since Cristiano Ronaldo came, apart from the Ara Champions League, they have not won a single official championship. This season, they have lost the Saudi Super Cup and the Saudi Crown, and the pressure has been piled on the league.

In fact, judging from the historical confrontation, Riyadh Victory originally had the advantage. At the end of September, the league also defeated Jeddah United 2-0 away from home. But when it comes to the key battles in the cup, we are always short of breath.

The problems exposed in this game are too obvious: there are not many ways to break the dense defense, the status of the stars fluctuates greatly, and they will not play when they are ahead or have a numerical advantage.

Jeddah United were really tough, with one less player and all players retreating. Benzema and Aouar seized the opportunity so calmly that they really deserved to win.

To be honest, the fans are furious, but the season is still long, and it is too early to collapse now.

If this defeat can serve as a wake-up call and allow the team to resolve their offensive efficiency and mentality issues, the league will still have a chance.

After all, with Cristiano Ronaldo here and the attention so high, he cannot always be labeled as a "champion shortage".

I hope this loss can turn into a basin of cold water and wake up the whole team. The real test is yet to come.